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Jefferson Award winner has built 12 schools in war-torn Sierra Leone

Cindy Nofziger, a physical therapist for Seattle Public Schools, is a state winner of the Jefferson Award, the “Nobel Prize” of public service.

It started with a plea from an old friend on the other side of the world, begging for help rebuilding a school that had been destroyed in a brutal civil war.

Seven years later, Schools for Salone has raised money to build 12 schools with a 13th in progress, two libraries and numerous water wells in war-torn villages across Sierra Leone.

This year, organization founder Cindy Nofziger, of Seattle, is being honored as one of five Washington state winners of the Jefferson Award, considered the “Nobel Prize” of public service. Residents can vote this week on their favorite local winner at www.king5.com, with the top vote-getter receiving entry to the national competition in June.